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Metal Gear Solid Rising to cut through the third dimension
While Metal Gear Solid Rising may be coming to both platforms, it'll be available in 3D on the PlayStation 3. Imagine: the gore, the body parts and the watermelons that could be flying out of your fancy 3DTV screen! In addition to Rising, a number of other games were shown in 3D at Sony's Tokyo Game Show press conference, including Final Fantasy 14 and Hot Shots Golf 5.
Deal: Hot Shots Golf PS3 for $26, PSP for $20 [Update]
Who doesn't love Hot Shots Golf? The answer is: nobody. While we're not enthusiastic fans of the sport on television, we do love picking up the virtual golf club and playing a few rounds of Hot Shots Golf with a few friends. Today's amazon.com Deal of the Day is all about Sony's famed golf franchise.Update: PS3 game is out of stock, it appears. The PS3 version of the franchise, Out of Bounds can be picked up for only $26 -- that's more than half off! The latest PSP game, Open Tee 2 can be picked up for $20. Both feature robust online multiplayer, and a plethora of content that'll have you swinging for hours. Either way, you win.[Via CAG]
New characters for purchase in Hot Shots Golf
Have an extra buck in your PSN account? Maybe you'll want to spend it on new Hot Shots Golf characters. They'll be available for a dollar each. Alex skill level will be intermediate; Gloria's is expert. Both characters will be available to purchase on the 15th.Due to the DLC, a patch will be applied to the game later this week as well. The patch is required for all players of the game, even if they opt not to buy any of these characters.
Hot Shots Golf's lead artist talks about art direction
It's all in the title, really. If you're curious about the artistic direction behind Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds or just want to check out some more cutesy golf action, feel free to watch. You'll learn about the new shot system. How is it more "realistic" than previous iterations of the franchise? You'll know, when you watch the video with Clap Hanz' lead artist on the project, Keisuke Futami.
Hot Shots Golf 5 gets a feature-ridden update
Also politely known as Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds outside of Japan, Hot Shots Golf 5 is getting a host of new features on February 7th in Japan. Hopefully, these additions will appear for all of us when the game is released in March. The free update adds two online modes: Stroke and Match. The former allows stroke play for four players. The neat thing is you can run around the course freely while chatting away with your friends. Match mode is a one-on-one battle with several predetermined rules set by you and/or your opponent.The update also lets you tweak rules in the game, like forbidding the use of certain skills in certain missions or holes or whatever. The online lobbies get a facelift too, allowing you to make it so only friends can get into your lobby, or people at similar skill levels. This update is free, but priced downloads aren't far away -- two new characters will appear across February and March, with a new course to be offered in April. Sounds like we're getting the game just in time!
PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Hot Shots Golf 5
At a recent NYC media event, PS3 Fanboy was able to get our hands on a newly localized version of Hot Shots Golf 5. The newest iteration of Clap Hanz's casual golfing game keeps the franchise's highly accessible gameplay, but gains a new level of unprecedented detail and personality, made possible by the PS3. The visuals are impressive, but considering how old the Japanese original is, it no longer has the "wow" factor it had when we first saw the game. The build we played featured the same characters from the Japanese game and the same charming voice acting from the Japanese original. However, localization is not yet complete, and the Sony representative on hand was unable to comment whether or not both English and Japanese language tracks will remain in the game. We urged them to -- let's hope they take our advice. The traditional three-press model returns in Hot Shots Golf 5, which has you timing button presses to determine the strength of a shot. However, a new advanced mode of swinging has been introduced. In this mode, you must look at the character and the position of their club. As they lift their club, you will press X to command them to swing. Because it doesn't use a HUD, it's a very natural way of interpreting the sport, although it does take some time getting used to. Supposedly, you'll be able to add a bit more slice and spin to the ball in this mode. Solid graphics, solid gameplay and fantastic presentation make Hot Shots Golf 5 a worthwhile addition to the PS3 library. The beginning of the year is usually slow for games, but this will certainly make a splash when it releases in March, exclusively for the PS3. %Gallery-11629%
Hot Shots Golf 5 swings into US March 2008
A little birdie told us. Actually, it was PS3 Fanboy, but working those guys into a golf pun proved to be more challenging and awkward than hitting a hole-in-one with a pool noodle. As the strikingly informative headline would suggest, the fifth main iteration of Sony's Hot Shots Golf is expected to cross the gulf between the US and Japan sometime in March 2008. The game was greeted with polite applause upon its initial release in July, prompting PlayStation 3 sales to double and avid clubbers to praise its sparkling graphics and adorably deformed characters. Expect to hear an exact release date early next year. Until then, caddy on.
Hot Shots Golf 5 gets March 2008 release
Click for high-resolution image. One of the best PS3 games to come out this year never made it to the States. Hot Shots Golf 5 tore up the Japanese sales charts thanks to its attractive graphics, accessible gameplay and ultra-cute characters. PS3 Fanboy has learned that SCEA will finally release one of our favorite games in the States in March 2008. We're certain that a downloadable demo will strike the PSN before that, though. Check out new screenshots from the game in our gallery: %Gallery-11629%
PS3 has "almost no limitations" for Hot Shots Golf 5, says devs
Clap Hanz president Masashi Muramori recently sat down for an interview about his beloved Hot Shots franchise. The interview covered many topics, from the possibility of new sports to explore, previous games' success and of course, the PS3's anticipated Hot Shots Golf 5. We'll summarize that portion of the interview for you, but if you're interested in any other information, feel free to check it out. The demo is a good indicator as to the graphical quality of the final product. New courses under development will improve effects and environmental design. Muramori also said there are "almost no limitations on the PS3's ability to create visually rich and fully interactive environments," stressing he would like to take advantage of that on every course. The Japanese version will tout 15 playable golfers, 7 caddies and 6 courses. No word on whether the numbers will go up or down for the rest of the world. The new shot mechanic (playable in the demo) is meant to bring about a more realistic and fluid swing to the game. Muramori admits it's more difficult to master, but when you do, the shots will be more powerful and travel farther. Online features will be based on what was available with Hot Shots Golf Fore, but built up exponentially. More features are going to be announced at E3, so we'll announce them at that time, too! At this time, Muramori doesn't have any plans to put Sixaxis controls into the game. You won't have to swing that controller around just yet. The final point Muramori answers is the possibility of downloadable content. This is the type of game that's perfect for extra stuff down the road. New courses, characters, outfits for characters, special online tournaments ... there are so many potential reasons to add on to the game after release. Muramori understands this and is very excited and ready to explore them. More announcements regarding this will come with E3, also. We can't wait! The demo was, and still is, incredibly fun.
Hot Shots Golf 5 snags 300,000 preorders in Japan
Since it's almost impossible to find anything on the GameFront website, we're attributing this piece of news to user collie9877 over at the PS3Forums. In a fairly surprising twist, Japanese specialty retailers are really gearing up for the release of Minno no Golf 5, pre-ordering around 300,000 copies. Does that mean Japan will get a boost in console sales this July? Who knows. Let's discuss further.The bit on GameFront is pretty vague: does this mean 300,000 people have pre-ordered the game? Have retailers ordered that many copies of the game to ship to their stores? If the latter, that sounds like a small number for an entire country. But whichever case it may be, moving that many games over a month before the release is a pretty strong candidate for a million-selling game. We downloaded the demo, we enjoy it, too. Hopefully this game helps out the dismal PS3 library in Japan and gets a quick release in the rest of the world, too.[via PS3Forums]
Hot Shots Golf 5 putting video -- not for the feint of heart
Golf games are relatively simple. Line up your shot, charge your power meter and slam that funky white crater-ball as far as possible. Then you get to the green... and you have to putt. Not only do the dynamics of the game ostensibly shift, but the complexity and threshold of skill are both increased exponentially. Putting requires an avid desire to sink the shot in one go, often making you consider the wind speed, the tilt of the ground, the distance to the hole, the power behind your putt ... there's a lot more to consider, basically. Check out the trailer for a nifty putting montage courtesy of Hot Shots Golf 5, if not for a tutorial on how to get your act together whilst putting.
Hot Shots Golf 5 gameplay video
A demo of the newest cutesy, moderately challenging golf title, Hot Shots Golf 5 was recently released on the Japanese PS-Store. If you're pretty slick, you can snag it yourself as well. The size isn't that large -- about 230MB, and from the gameplay video, it looks pretty nice. Nice in the "not realistic but very smooth and without jaggy, sort of anime style with pretty foliage effects" way.[Thanks, Rivithed!]
